In the first few days after the Ritual on the Road Rask is subdued. He prays with Ca’armine and Gus whenever he can. He invites Ethelred to join them if Ethelred doesn’t seem busy. Helps them around camp and on the road, and spends a lot of time tending to the horses. He touches the wooden Shield of Raiden brooch Ethelred made him often.

In the morning on the first day after Rask very tentatively does a long set of calisthenics, pushing himself up off the ground, jumping up and down, marching in place and more. He exercises vigorously for nearly a hour, but he does not practice any fighting moves at all.

The next morning he does the same, more confidently.

On the third morning he adds a few minutes of slow movements that seem somewhat like unarmed fighting moves, but at the slowest possible pace in the most idealized form. He prays to Raiden for guidance and protection while holding the small wooden shield. The next day his routine changes, he prays briefly before starting m, a short intense burst of calisthenics is followed by a long, repeated cycle of the same slow, very controlled movements. After about and hour he prays to Raiden briefly in thanks, and goes about the rest of his day.

The remainder of each day continues very much the same: An occasional conversation, lots of praying, tending to the horses, and helping Gus or Ca’armine any time they will accept it.

The next morning, the cycle of unarmed movements progressively gets faster until it is blinding fast, and then slow again until it ends at the slowest possible pace. Throughout Rask is calm and focused, the movements carefully controlled and precise.

That day, Rask asks Ca’armine for permission to start practicing with a baton, and Ca’armine assents.

His routine shifts again: short burst of calisthenics, unarmed forms at a moderate pace and then at his fastest, fully controlled pace. Only then, starting at the slowest possible pace, does his begin the fighting forms with the stick. Two days later he is practicing at full speed with the stick as well. At the end of each session he sits, contemplative, offers a prayer to Raiden, and then goes about his day.

It takes a couple days of full speed stick practice before Rask asks Ca’armine for a sword. Rask does so with humility and some sense of resignation and sadness.

The cycle starts again, Rask adds a prayer to Raiden at the beginning, then the calisthenics and unarmed forms at their slowest pace as well as the sword forms. Rask takes a little longer with the steel sword, and spends two days of excruciating slow forms. A skilled swordsman would notice that the forms are almost exclusively focused on using the flat of the blade, the pommel or creating an opening for a kick, leg sweep, or other unarmed strike, and not on thrusting or slicing attacks. Rask slowly works his way up to speed with the steel sword. Rask is precise, focused and in complete control throughout the exercises. At the end of each session, he prays to Raiden before starting the rest of his day.

The morning before entering Gahnil, and after praying together, Rask approaches Ca’armine with the same sad, humble resignation and asks to partice with and carry the Raidensblud Blade. Before starting practice he prays to Raiden. His calisthenics and unarmed forms are just under full speed, control and precision are his complete focus. He is cautious at first with the Blud Blade, using the slowest possible forms again, but builds to full speed, still completely in control and with a precision that is both comforting and frightening to those who watch.

He concludes the session with a moment of contemplation and then a prayer to Raiden. He is ready to break camp and make the final ride into Gahnil, to find Tarkus Vell and return to the hunt for Bandesingh.